Why a school is needed
Celebrate Jesus of Haiti, Inc. has a goal of bringing the people of Haiti to a level of self-sufficiency. A good school is a crucial part of that plan. When the students graduate they can speak their native Creole as well as French (the official language of Haiti) and English.
This opens up many possibilities for these students that they did not have before.
Funding urgently needed
In order for a school to be recognized by the government, the Haitian authorities have established a minimum enrollment.
This required additional teachers in order to maintain an appropriate student-teacher ratio.
This led to increased staffing. Since each student and teacher is fed one meal a day at school, the costs for meals have gone up substantially. This means that your financial support is urgently needed for this important and very successful project.
Management of the school
The school is run by Haitians. The principal and teachers are paid. No Americans are paid and no Americans are normally present.
Sonja still oversees the entire project, but has delegated the day-to-day decisions to the local Haitian leaders of the school.
Success of the school
The school currently includes grades 1 through 9. Most of the students pass their government tests and the school is now seen as being one of the premiere schools on the island.
The next goal
Now that grades 1-9 are up and running with a new building for grades 7-9, the next step is to provide educational opportunities for the older children, providing a full high school curriculum. In order for this to happen, we will need to add another couple of rooms, so a lot of work lies ahead.